Treading Water

When going for your first open water swim, there is one additional question to ask after “How deep is it out here?” I didn’t ask the second question and it made for an exciting morning.

The Veendam anchored off the coast of St. George this morning and we were ferried to shore. We boarded a 40-foot sloop for a sail around the island, followed by swimming and snorkeling in a small cove.

The crew distributed snorkels and life vests for those who wanted them, and I asked the first question. The answer was “Eight feet.” OK, that was deeper than the pool, but I felt confident and the water was calm. So I jumped in off the deck right after the Lovely Mrs. A., who is a strong swimmer.

It was a bit of a rush as I bobbed to the surface, but I overcame my first instinct, which was to flap my arms and scream like a little girl. I maintained my composure and was floating without effort. I took a deep breath and started swimming toward shore. Then I grabbed a breath, and did another interval. Then another breath, and another interval.

About halfway through the fourth interval I realized I was still at about 8 feet, and the shore was still at a distance. The question I hadn’t asked was, “How far do I have to swim to get to 5 feet?” The answer would have been “Quite a ways.”

So as I bobbed up and down, catching my breath and trying to slither my way to shallow water, I realized it was going to be a lot harder for me when it came time to go in the other direction, back to the boat. Fortunately, the Lovely Mrs. A. was nearby, and she volunteered to get me a life vest. While she was gone, I floated serenely on my back, breathing deeply and regularly. For my first foray into deep water, it was comforting to know I wasn’t going to drown, but I was disappointed that I had gotten in over my head, so to speak.

When my wife returned with the vest, I slipped it on, while trying not to look like a sea lion getting dressed for work. I then swam about contentedly for the duration of our time and returned to the ship without further incident.

Tomorrow we’re going to the beach, where I will enter the ocean from the shallow end. I expect things to go better that way.